If you are wondering why you haven’t received a Social Security statement in a while, it is because Social Security no longer sends statements through the mail. Social Security now makes statements available online through a My Social Security Account on the Social Security Website.
Before signing up and entering your personal information make certain that you are on the official Social Security website. Your web browser should indicate you are on a secure site by showing "https://" before the name of the website. The official Social Security website should show http://www.ssa.gov Once you have found the correct site, the actual sign up is quick and easy. All you need is your name, social security number, birth date, and address. Social Security will require you to verify a couple pieces of information about yourself and then you will be prompted to create a username and password. Once you’ve created an account, you can access your benefits anywhere you have access to the internet.
In addition to your earnings history, your My Social Security Account provides up-to-date information on how many credits you’ve earned and what your expected disability and retirement benefits will be. Once you are eligible to receive benefits you can also use your account to update your address, change your direct deposit, get replacement forms for taxes, and access your statements.
To sign up, click here. If you’d like to learn more about how your social security benefit works, feel free to check out some of our other social security articles or give one of our advisors a call today.